Under the Starry Sky
by Dinohunter55
Summary: A Broken Lives Spinoff. After the disaster at the nest, Sophia is alone in a cave and must struggle against the elements and her own demons if she is to have any hope of escape.
1. Chapter 1: Into Darkness

Under the Starry Sky

By Dinohunter55

* * *

Chapter 1: Into Darkness

The world sang with a high-pitched ringing and a sound like clashing mountains shook Sophia to her core. For a moment, she could not remember what was happening or where she was. She tried to move but her leg ached and sent bolts of pain racing up her spine. She cried out and looked to the sky for relief. A gaping maw snapped shut before her eyes.

Sophia screamed. The spinosaurus was upon her, trying to eat her as it had done her mother. The memories rushed back in a torrent and all seemed still and became silent as the beast let loose a guttural roar.

She remembered running, running so fast that her lungs burned with the effort. And Silver Claw, he was with her. Where was he? Then she remembered falling and darkness. The jaws snapped shut again with a sickening clack.

Panic gripped her and she wanted to stand, to run. But her legs failed her. She could only crawl and crawl she did. The rasping of her claws on stone was lost as the spinosaurus let out another roar and shifted its body to send a powerful limb into the crevasse after her.

The claw reached for her but without a line of sight, the beast groped blindly. Sophia mustered the strength and kicked at the arm. Her claw bit deep and the spinosaurus roared in pain and fury. It recoiled sharply and sent Sophia sliding into a cave. She screamed as waves of pain rolled through her.

And then, the ground trembled and the sides of the crevasse gave way. A wall of choking dust engulfed Sophia. Darkness consumed her.

Terror gripped Sophia and she tried and failed to run, again and again. Each time she tried to rise, her body gave out and she collapsed. In the darkness, she was blind but even so, her eyes darted between imagined shapes and recoiled at snapping jaws in the shifting blackness. It was not until she hit a wall that her senses came back to her.

Each breath was painful, a short sharp shudder. The dust filled her mouth with a dry earthy taste. Her nostrils itched. She closed her eye and forced herself to calm. Then the muffled roar of the spinosaurus broke the silence and her eyes shot open. It was going to get her.

The earth trembled and a small patch of debris shifted. A single shaft of light pieced the darkness. Sophia stared through the swirling dust but then realized that the beast was moving off. She was safe, at least for now.

But where was Silver Claw? Had the spinosaurus caught him? The spinosaurus roared again a short distance away. It was after something. Sophia struggled to move back towards the collapsed entrance. She had to know.

After a minute of fighting the pain, she managed to get her head close to the hole. She saw only the crevasse, a shallow tear in the earth made of the black volcanic stone that permeated the island. At the far end, the unobstructed entrance to another cave. A thin layer of soil covered the floor from which jagged rocks protruded.

Along one wall, a streak of blood marked where she kicked the beast. A small amount of pride welled up inside her. She wounded it but she wished she killed it.

A shadow fell over her. It was back. She strained to see the beast and soon a bloodied snout appeared. A fresh wound poured blood near its nostril. Silver Claw! Sophia's heart sank. It got him. A part of her wanted to cry out and just end it all now, to let the beast kill her. She would not give it that satisfaction however.

After a moment of sniffing around, the spinosaurus disappeared and the ground trembled as it moved off into the jungle. For a while, she felt the slight tremors in the earth with each heavy step the beast made. Then all was silent but the ringing in Sophia's head.

Sophia lay still, breathing in short gasps and listening. In time, the ringing subsided but a throbbing pain replaced it. She tried to move but the pain overwhelmed her and left her dizzy. When the pain passed, she tried to look at her legs. The one was likely sprained but the other glistened with a dark luster in the dim light.

She was bleeding. Sophia looked back out at the black rocks jutting from the soil. She must have landed on one. Without her pack to help her, the injury was very serious. She could rest at the nest while the others brought her food or helped her to the stream. But alone in a cave, her odds were grim.

A wave of dizziness overwhelmed her and left her sick. The world spun and Sophia's head dropped to the ground. "Silver…" Darkness took her.


	2. Chapter 2: A Light in the Dark

Under the Starry Sky

By Dinohunter55

Chapter 2: A Light in the Dark

Sophia woke to complete darkness and buzzing. Her eyes shot open but saw only the void until she had a moment to focus and then the pale moonlight gave shape to the world. All at once, the pain returned.

A short hiss escaped her and she closed her eyes again. For a while, she lay unmoving out of fear that the pain would return. When the fear passed, she lifted her head. Dizziness rolled over her like a wave and she leaned to one side as the world around her rotated. But she did not pass out. She fought it until at last the world returned to normal.

The memories returned and her heart sank. Her pack was gone. Her family was dead. The one she had chosen but did not tell was dead. Thoughts like poison crept through her mind. She was going to die alone in this cave. Never in her life had she felt this helpless, this alone, this weak. A tinge of pain drew the poison from her mind for a moment.

She took a deep breath and looked back at her injured leg. Several flies buzzed around the wound, stirred up by her moving. They tried to land but she snapped at them. The swift motion sent pain up her leg and she realized there was something in the wound. She had to clean it.

Gently, Sophia began to lick at the tender edges while the flies buzzed around her snout. The pain was intense at first but she fought the urge to stop. Soon the feeling dulled and she worked her way deeper, removing the dirt and small stones embedded in her flesh. The taste of blood would be sweet to her tongue, if it were not her own. Then she found something solid. At first, she feared it was bone, a death sentence most likely. But as her tongue prodded it, she realized that the surface was porous and jagged. Imbedded in her leg was a large stone and she had to pull it out.

Her tongue tried to slide under it but the pain made her recoil. She snapped angrily at a fly but missed it. Her teeth clacked together and a long shuddered hiss snaked through the gaps. She knew what she had to do but she did not want to do it.

A sound drew her attention back to the hole. She looked out as a shadow cast the crevasse into darkness. Her heart raced. The spinosaurus was back! Then she heard a soft snort. A familiar scent drifted to her nostrils. It was a stegosaurus. Her body relaxed.

The plant eater was likely chewing on the foliage turned up by the spinosaurus. While dangerous, the stegosaurus posed no threat to her, especially while she remained trapped in the cave. It would move on to another area in a while.

Her attention fell upon the stone in her leg once more. She shifted her body to get a better view. The pain emanated from the shifting stone. If she removed it, she may be able to move again, maybe.

Sophia hesitated. She knew it was going to hurt, a lot. She did not want to feel the pain but every time she moved, the stone moved. It had to come out. Carefully, she moved her muzzle to the wound so she could get her teeth on it. The effort drove bolts of pain up her spine and her claws scrapped against bare stone. Her breaths came short and sharp. She worked up the courage to pull. The rush was dizzying. With a snap of her neck, she ripped the stone from her leg. Sophia screamed.

* * *

Hours later, Sophia's eyes slowly opened. Her moonlight was gone and darkness surrounded her. A throbbing emanated from her mouth and she realized that she broke a tooth on the rock. The rock! Sophia turned her attention to the wound and slowly prodded it with her tongue. The wound was shallower than she expected. She would survive. She survived worse.

In the dark, her eyes struggled to focus. She tried to find the hole but only found fresh soil. Her heart sank, trapped. Half-heartedly, she tried to dig but her claws struck stone just beneath the soil. She could not escape the way she came.

For a while, Sophia remained completely still, lost in thought and deeply troubled. The poisonous thoughts returned. Thoughts of her mother dying replayed over and over in her mind. She spiraled into the abyss, ready to let it consume her whole. But then, a thought broke through the darkness. There was another pack.

How could she have forgotten? Her parents were part of another back before they came to lead the Western Ridge Pack after the territorial conflict. The old pack was too large for their territory and split to prevent starvation. They would accept her. She could have a pack again, somewhere she belonged. A renewed strength filled Sophia. She just had to escape the cave.

With the entrance blocked, the only way was deeper. That troubled her. She knew from exploring the caves near the nest that they could quickly become an inescapable labyrinth. No! She would not let such thoughts cloud her mind. She was Sophia! She was the child of the pack alphas and one day would lead a pack of her own. She was going to escape this cave. She was going to seek out the old pack. She was going to join them and nothing was going to stop that from happening, nothing.

Sophia stood and cried out. The pain was intense even with the stone removed. But now, it was manageable. She took a step and bumped into the wall. At least she knew where that was now and so leaned against it. The cave wall was mostly smooth with a slight rippling along the surface. However, the floor was rough with branches and small stones. She wondered how deep she would go in order to reach another exit.

The air grew steadily stale and damp as Sophia limped slowly through the darkness. Several times, she tripped on a small log or branch wondering all the while how they got so deep into the cave to begin with. She dreaded the thought of some large creature nesting in a dark passageway.

The silence was deafening, broken only by the rasping of scales on stone and the distant echo of dripping water. No bats, every cave she visited had bats but not this one. Why? All too soon, Sophia lost track of time and direction. The dark tunnel twisted in an ever-downward course.

When at last she came to a fork in the tunnel, she welcomed it as though it were a feast. Hope at last. She could not see the split but she could smell it, feel it. Two air currents fought as the caves merged. One brought with it the smell of foliage and rich soil. The other brought the smell of salt and something fishy. It was an easy choice. Sophia worried that the one tunnel lead directly into the sea and that she would find only a passage willed with water and so she followed her nose down the earthly tunnel.

It was not long before a faint glow allowed her to see the rough shape of the world once more. The cave appeared as she felt it but the roof was porous and covered in short spikes. Still she wondered why there were no bats and what carried the logs so deep. None of that mattered now, as she would be free soon.

Sophia rounded a corner and saw it, the exit. The problem was that it sat above her at the top of a dead end. Her heart sank a little and she slowly stepped into the light. It was morning and the sun was barely above the horizon. She could hear the songs of birds and the far off calls of feeding herbivores. So close and yet so far, she slowly set herself upon the ground, staring at the light and longing to be free. If only she could fly.

For a long while, Sophia remained unmoved, watching as the pink-yellow sky slowly changed to blue. Perhaps the other tunnel held an exit as well, probably not. She could try it but she did not want to leave the light. Her stomach rumbled and for the first time she felt the hunger gnawing at her stomach. It would have to stay empty for now.

Exhaustion set in and Sophia felt a wave of sleep roll over her. Perhaps she could climb out. Her eyes closed and her head drifted slowly to the ground. It looked do able. But first, she would…. Sophia fell into a peaceful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Fire and Water

Under the Starry Sky

By Dinohunter55

Chapter 3: Fire and Water

Thunder cracked. Sophia's eyes shot open. A flash of white blinded her. A second crack of thunder rattled the cave. She jumped to her feet. The wound in her leg ached and her stomach growled. She was cold and wet and rain poured into the cave through the hole and made the walls shimmer with every lightning flash.

She moved away from the hole and shook off the rain. A chill lingered and her flesh felt clammy. At least she felt stronger than before. However, the cold would sap her strength if she were not careful. Sophia looked to the sky as the jungle above illuminated with a flash of lightning. She had to escape the cave. Right now, her only path was to climb out but she doubted she could, especially with the rain making the walls slippery.

She considered going back and trying the other way. No, it would take too long. She let out a snort, her breath misted in the air. She would climb out. Sophia moved to the wall directly beneath the hole. It was smooth but with enough crevasses that she could get a grip. She was never a good climber except on prey.

When she was young, she tried climbing trees but quickly gave up. Instead, she convinced Silver Claw that she could and that he could too, if he tried hard enough. It was an amusing few hours watching him fail. Eventually, he gave up after bruising his tail. Her parents disapproved but not enough to punish her for it. She smiled for a second before she remembered that he was gone.

She closed her eyes for a moment and then moved to the wall. She leapt onto it, her leg burned with the effort. Her claws gripped for a second but then she fell onto her back. It was climbing trees all over again. She flailed for a second before righting herself. There were no stones to break her fall, only soft soil. For that, she was thankful.

Again and again, Sophia tried to scale the wall. Each time she slid back to the ground or outright fell, never gaining more than her initial jump and each jump gaining less and less. It seemed a futile effort. She could not climb but she was not about to give up.

After several more tries, she gripped the wall and did not fall immediately. She looked up to the sky, blinking rapidly as the raindrops pelted her eyes. She could make it, she thought. She looked at her limbs as best she could to see what she did right and quickly gained an idea of what she had to do, roughly. It was like climbing a large prey, a large heavily armoured prey, but prey nonetheless. She just had to move more slowly since her claws would not sink into this prey's tough skin.

Slowly and painfully, Sophia began to climb. Several times, a limb lost its grip on the slippery stone but she kept hold with the others. She learned to hold with the three other limbs while moving one. Slow and steady, she thought. If she grew impatient, she would fall. If it were not for her injured leg, she could have jumped nearly out of the hole with one leap. Another reason she wanted that damned spinosaurus dead.

As she neared the top, she paused to catch her breath. Her nostrils flared as she drew in a deep breath. Her limbs ached as much as her leg. Yet she was so close that she could nearly stick her head through the hole. A scent suddenly caught her attention. Smoke. A fire burned nearby. Her eyes widened. She knew fires often started during the strong storms that ravaged Isla Sorna. Her pack used them to hunt prey fleeing the flames. They rarely lasted long due to the downpours that accompanied the lightning. This fire was close however.

Sophia climbed with renewed vigor. If she did not escape the cave fast enough, the flames might reach it and would trap her. Worse yet was she could not escape the smoke as it wafted into the cave. As she climbed, the fire grew closer. She began to choke as the air became hazy. She was nearly at the top when another bolt lit up the sky and struck a nearby tree. Sophia shrieked as a tree cracked and fell over the hole. The resulting quake dislodged her and she fell to the ground, hard.

A scream ripped loose from her snarling lips. What had she done to deserve this! She stood up and looked at the hole. Flames licked the underside of the tree and ash and ember began to fall upon her. She roared her fury at the tree and sank her claws into the dirt. Soon smoke spilled into the cave and forced her back.

Sophia tapped her claws against the cave floor as she backed into the darkness and headed away from the light. Soon poisonous thoughts consumed her and she fell back into the abyss. She began to wish that she never convinced Silver Claw to run off with her that morning. It was going to the best day of her life. She was going to ask him to be her mate, a question a long time coming. She knew he felt the same way about her. He was just too scared to ask. She stomped her foot and it splashed water. She cursed herself for not working up the courage to ask him earlier that day.

If she stayed at the nest like her pack told her to do, she could have fought the spinosaurus and at least died protecting her nest. Instead, she was lost in a cave. She would likely die a slow painful death from starvation, thirst, or that damn wound throbbing in her leg. She never even asked Silver Claw the question. Instead, the spinosaurus disrupted them in their most intimate moment. She would kill that thing if she ever got out. She promised herself that.

The sound of running water drew her from her thoughts as she reached the fork. Water ran down the second passageway, a lot of it. It was only now that she realized that the cave she took ascended until it reached the hole. She paused to regard the water, listening to it flow. If the cave entrance was blocked, how was the water coming in? Maybe she missed a tunnel along the way. A branch scraped her leg. At least she knew there was not a nest waiting for her further down.

She decided her best option was to follow the stream and hope it exited above the ocean. She could always follow the water back the entrance and see if the rain unblocked. As she turned down the tunnel, a loud bang echoed from the direction of the entrance. A stone falling, she heard it before in other caves and so carried on unworried.

The air seemed fresher now and there was very little smoke in the new passage. As she walked, the stream grew stronger and rose higher. She had no choice but to walk in it and the amount of debris brushing her legs began to worry her. If she were unlucky, she would find the tunnel blocked by trees. It was an odd but amusing thought that distracted her for a moment, but the moment quickly passed as her mind fell back to Silver Claw.

Silver Claw hated caves and it was her fault. She tricked him in to following her deep into a cave before and since she knew the way out, ditched him in the dark as part of a game. He became lost in a cave before and it took some convincing to get him to follow her into that one. He trusted her. It was the first time she broke his trust. A twinge of pain pulled at her heart. It was a long time before he forgave her but he would not follow her into caves after that. She solidified his fear. Worse yet, she never apologized and now she never could.

Sophia's head dropped and she stopped walking for a moment. "I'm sorry Silver Claw," she said to herself. Her voice echoed slightly, muffled by the running water. She just wanted him back.

A log bounced off her leg and she let out a yelp. Sophia snarled but in the blackness could not see where it was and so continued moving. The cave grew wider from what she could tell and soon she heard the sound of rapids. Her heart dropped. The cave probably dropped deep into the earth. Lightning flashed.

Sophia stomped her foot in the water and snarled. Of all the things that could kill her on the island, a cave was the least of her concerns. She hoped to die in a fight for leadership or while hunting after she laid and raised her eggs with Silver Claw, something that was worth her life and when she was ready. Now that was never going to happen. She snarled but it quickly grew into a roar and then a scream. She felt helpless and collapsed into the water.

As she stared into the water unseeing, she imagined she could see her reflection in it. And for a moment, she did. She was beautiful. Her white scales glistened with droplets of water. The only blemish on her scales was some dirt. She was largely unscarred despite her sometimes-reckless nature, which she used to sway Silver Claw's often-cautious nature. He usually ended up with scars that she would have otherwise earned. She smiled and staggered to her feet.

Slowly, Sophia limped forward. She had to see if the cave actually dropped into the earth or not. If it did, she would try to find the source of the water. The cave bent to the right. When she rounded the corner, her eyes widened. Before her stretched the rolling waves of the inlet, she was free.

As fast as her legs would carry her, Sophia moved to the exit. She jumped out of the water and onto a shelf just out of reach of the crashing waves. She looked around for a path to lead her out but there was none, only the sea. For a moment, her heart dropped. She could swim! She just had to wait out the storm. Hope at last.


	4. Chapter 4: Beneath the Stars

Under the Starry Sky

By Dinohunter55

Chapter 4: Beneath the Stars

Sophia shivered against the wall of the shelf. The waves did not get her but the spray did. During the night and most of the day, the waves continued even though the storm passed during the night. It was cool during the night and her chill lasted into the hot day as the ocean spray kept her damp. The water was calm now but she did not have the strength to swim. Her hunger did not help matters.

All day, her hunger gnawed at her relentlessly and she felt weaker for it. Normally, she could find a compsognathus or some other small creature to hold her over until the pack went hunting. The older members could go a while between meals and it did not seem to bother them but it did her and Silver Claw.

As the sun dropped below the horizon, the sky turned a shade of dark purple and the first stars appeared. It was a beautiful sight but Sophia kept to the back of the shelf. At least her side was warm and dry from lying against the rock all day.

She did not sleep during the previous night. She heard the spinosaurus several times and the hope that the sea would calm long enough for her to swim to shore kept her awake. Nor did she sleep during the day as she kept a watchful eye on the water and the distant shore. The spinosaurus roared again in evening but it was distant. She did not want to swim across the inlet if that thing was close.

A sea bird dropped in to view. It was a gull of some sort and squawked as it road an air current near her cave. Then it dove into the water. For a moment, it did not reappear but then it surfaced in a different spot gulping down a small fish. If only the bird would come close to her, then she would gulp it down. Her stomach grumbled a protest as the thought of fresh meat made her mouth water.

Slowly, Sophia staggered to her feet and left the warm rock so that she could get a last glimpse of the area around her before darkness fell over the island. Cliffs loamed to either side of her cave and a small island jutted out of the water to her right. She had an idea of where she was. Above her and back into the jungle a ways would be a dirt road used by the humans that once inhabited the island. If she was correct in her location, she only partially recognized the across the inlet. She often did not pay attention to areas forbidden for her to go, at least not the ones that seemed boring.

The sea broke softly upon the smooth ledge below her. It sat slightly above sea level and each swell rolled over the lip and fanned out until it splashed upward at the base of her shelf. The sound was calming but the ledge looked slippery. She would have to be careful when she made her way down.

The gull squawked at her and then flew away, leaving her alone once more. It was a feeling she would have get used to. At least until she found another pack. The thought did not leave her feeling any better however.

As Sophia turned to go back to her rock, a small splash caught her attention. She looked back at the water but did not see anything. Then a streak of silver flashed, and then another. Soon a ball of silver boiled up from the depths next to the ledge. She paused to regard it. They were small fish, hardly worth her effort. Several fish suddenly broke the surface. Something was hunting them, something larger.

A toothy grin broke Sophia's lips. Perhaps she may eat yet. She stepped down from the shelf, careful to test her footing before she put all her weight onto the ledge. It was indeed slippery and the breaking waves did not help. She incher her way up to the ledge and peered into the water. She could not see far into the murky depths but she could see the streaks of silver as the smaller fish dodged the unseen predator.

For a while, the school moved back and forth along the ledge, darting suddenly then slowing. Sophia followed them back and forth along the edge. She still could not see the predator in the shimmering silver flashes and then the fish welled to the surface. They became confused and started to scatter as they noticed her looming over them.

Sophia snarled and lunged as a ball of fish broke the surface. If she could not catch the large one, she would at least feast on the small ones. Her snout broke the water and her jaws opened wide. She could feel the tiny fish hitting her tongue and teeth. Something hit her.

Her jaws snapped shut and she recoiled. Something was in her mouth. With a sudden twist of her head, she tossed the thing on to the shelf, and nearly lost her balance in the process.

The school of fish disappeared into the depths again and Sophia could no longer see the silver flashes. She looked around for her attacker and spotted it, a small pteranodon. She snarled at it but its attention was elsewhere. She looked back to the shelf. A large fish flopped surrounded by several smaller ones. She caught it! And the pteranodon was after it.

Sophia quickly ran to it, nearly slipping as the pteranodon circled back. She pounced on her prize just in time as moon cast shadow fell over her. She felt the hard peck of its beak as it passed. The fish was hers and she was not giving it up! With the fish wriggling in her jaws, she moved back towards her spot.

Again, the pteranodon circled back and snapped at the exposed parts of the fish. Sophia ducked in time and the creature circled around again. It would not have her prize. She tossed the fish in her mouth and swallowed it whole. The pteranodon shrieked its anger and snapped at her as it passed by again. She snapped back and caught the wing. The thin membrane tore and the pteranodon managed only a few flaps before it fell into the sea.

The pteranodon shrieked as it flapped futilely against the water. Sophia stepped to the edge of the shelf and watched it for a moment. She considered going after it but then the water under it erupted as a gaping maw encompassed the body. The pteranodon screamed as it disappeared beneath the waves. A final tail slap signaled the end as a shark disappeared into the depths with its prize.

Sophia's heart sank. Her way out was through those same waters. She returned to the back of the shelf and curled up. The spot was cold now. Her eyes closed. The sound of the sea soothed her slightly and the feeling of food in her belly, albeit still wriggling, allowed her to finally sleep beneath the starry sky.

* * *

 _Sophia chirped loudly as she chased after her mother. They were playing a game and she was always just a little too slow to catch her mother. This time would be different. This time she would catch her._

 _Her mother called to her, taunting her. The thrill of the chase urged Sophia forward. "I'll catch you this time Mother!"_

 _The jungle gave way to a field and her mother was still running. Now was her chance. Sophia pushed herself onward harder than ever before. She was gaining on her mother, any moment now! Sophia lunged and nipped at her tail._

 _Her mother turned into a cloud of smoke and enveloped Sophia. She fought to get away. Where was her mother? What happened? The smoke thickened until it became a viscous soup. She could not escape it. Her mouth opened to scream but the fluid rushed in. The world darkened._

 _Sophia swished her tail and bumped something solid. She looked. A pale yellow wall surrounded her. She tried to squirm but it was all round her, closing in on her. All too soon, she filled the space._

 _"_ _Help me," she cried out but it came as a pitiful squeak. A squeak replied from nearby. Somehow, it felt familiar, like family. A shadow fell over her, "Mother?"_

 _Crunch! The sound sent waves of fear over her. A frightened squeak came from nearby and then it stopped just as quickly as it came._

 _For a moment, she was in silence then the wall of her egg cracked and a great black hook scratched her leg. She screamed and broke out the other side._

 _Sophia landed in something wet. Her eyes opened as though for the first time. The light blinded her. When she could see, she wished her eyes never opened. All around her, the bodies of her brothers and sisters lay broken and mutilated. Their insides spread for all to see and she bore witness to it all. Suddenly, the bodies began to change and soon they looked like her pack._

 _"_ _You did this!" A voice called to her. Its tone and harshness struck her like a club._

 _Sophia looked for the voice and saw her mother broken on the ground. "Mother," she cried out._

 _"_ _You did this to me!" Her mother roared. Her body began to contort, crack, and grow. It grew until it the size of the spinosaurus. No, it was the spinosaurus! The beast loomed over Sophia and then it lunged, swallowing her whole as she would a fish._

* * *

Sophia's eyes opened but she did not move. Her heart raced and a shiver ran down her spine. The stars were gone. In their stead, light clouds blanketed the sky and a soft rain began to fall. She would find no more sleep this night.


	5. Chapter 5: Into the Sea

Under the Starry Sky

By Dinohunter55

Chapter 5: Into the Sea

The gentle waves glittered in the morning sunlight as a light mist kissed the surface of the water. Sophia stared at the sea as she slowly moving her injured leg. The air was warm despite the rain during the night.

She yawned. It was a long sleepless night. She could not sleep again after her nightmare. It was not the first time she had a dream like that and it would not be the last. Only now, it had one more horror to terrorize her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had to put the thoughts behind her and focus on what was to come.

A constant unease plagued Sophia throughout the night. Her strength returned with rest but she did not know if it was enough to make the long swim. Worse yet, she did not know what may yet lurk beneath the waves. The death of the pteranodon troubled her deeply.

Sophia moved to the edge of the shelf and looked up. A few birds darted in and out of the foliage overhanging the cliff. If she knew where she was, she could figure out the closest way to shore. She looked out at the island. She could swim to it and see if she could spot a beach of some sort from it. That was if it had a lower side to climb.

There was always the cave. Sophia turned her head to regard the gaping black maw. Spikes like teeth lined the roof of the cave. The thought of wandering alone in the dark again bothered her. She would not do it unless she had no other choice.

She would swim. The fish she caught gave her a needed energy boost. She could not waste this opportunity. The sea sloshed over the ledge as Sophia stepped down and she nearly slipped. The stone was smooth underfoot and a muddy brown. As she looked down into the murky water, she realized that she would never see something coming.

Sophia paced back and forth along the edge, looking across the inlet. It might be too far of a swim for her. She considered swimming south to see if there was a way up. The island lay in that direction but first she would try the north. Most likely, she was near the southern section of the cliffs but she wanted to make sure.

A wave of cool water rolled over her claws and she looked down. She spotted a minnow darting along the ledge. It was a muted brown color with spots. It darted away from the ledge to grab a speck floating in the water and then darted back. It seemed to like having the wall to one side of it.

The sea was calm. Sophia considered the minnow's actions. It would probably be best to hug the cliff and if she needed to, she could latch on to it and rest. She moved to the northern most point and looked down into the water. It was still murky but she saw the yellow tips of kelp reaching from the depths. The thought of something touching her while she swam was unnerving.

Sophia closed her eyes. She had no choice. Her heart raced. Slowly, she leaned forward until she fell. The water hit her like an icy wall and her eyes shot open. All she saw a murky darkness with a layer of light above her. With a hard thrash of her tail, she broke the surface. She looked around for any sign that she was in danger. The water was still so she began to move, feeling the kelp touching her feet with every kick.

The bodies of water on and around the island were dangerous. The ponds and rivers held crocodiles, where the larger predators did not eat them all, and the ocean held sharks and other unknown terrors. Her mother had a scar from a crocodile that grabbed her by the leg. It was back in the early days following the packs final escape from the human cages and while they learned about their new territory. Her pack saved her life before the crocodile could drag her completely under the water. Sophia did not think that crocodiles lived in the sea, but sharks did.

Sophia angled herself away from the cliff. She wanted to cut across the short distance where the cliff recessed into a small cove. The kelp underfoot disappeared as she made her way towards the point, around which she hoped to find a beach. A current pulled at her feet and threatened to drag her away from the shore.

A squawk drew her attention to the sky above. A gull circled around her. That made her uneasy. She looked around for any sign of danger and noticed a gravel beach. It lay recessed in the area she wanted to skip in order to reach the point. The ground behind it sloped steeply until it reached the jungle far above. She could climb it.

Sophia slowly turned in the water and swam towards shore. The current fought her at every kick and she covered half the distance she would have otherwise covered. The gull moved closer and squawked several times, seemingly excited about something.

Sophia tried not to pay attention to it but then a rush of current passed her going from one side to the other. She looked down in time to see a shadow pass into the darkness. Her heart leapt in her chest. She panicked and forced herself to swim as fast as she could. The shadow appeared again, circling.

A primal fear overwhelmed Sophia and she wanted to scream, to call out for help. She had just enough control to know that would only hurt her if she did.

The shore was close, only a few meters away. She gave a hard push with her tail. Something rough bumped her leg. She screamed and thrashed. Her claws caught nothing. Again, something touched her foot and she kicked at it but it was light and slimy. She looked down, kelp. She panicked even more. She could not see the shadow.

She looked back at the sea, nothing. Her foot touched something rough and she shrieked, kicking it. It was solid and her claws did nothing. Stone! She was on solid ground. Her body froze for a moment, unable to grasp what to do next. Then all at once, she planted her feet and raced out of the water, collapsing upon the gravel beach.

Her body burned and her lungs ached. She struggled to take each breath. In the sea, a fin rose to the surface. It followed the shore for a moment and then sank into the depths. The gull squawked one last time before it flew away.

For a while, Sophia stared out at the sea. She watched it for a long time before she was able to calm herself. She was safe at last.

A cool breeze roused Sophia to her feet. The beach was small, rocky and littered with small branches. Before her, the slope leading up to the jungle was steep but it was her only way out. She started the climb. The nest would be her first destination. She had to put those thoughts at ease.


	6. Chapter 6: Decision

Under the Starry Sky

By Dinohunter55

Chapter 6: Decision

Sophia lapped up the cool water as though she were dying of thirst. The midday heat only added to her list of problems, the top of which was a question. Why was a human tool in the nesting grounds with the scent of a human on it? The question forced her to go out in search of answers.

The idea of a human on the island sent a chill down Sophia's spine. Humans did not belong on the island. They caged her family, her friends. They were dangerous and every time humans returned to the island, the pack hunted them if something else did not get to them first. The elders knew that if humans returned to the island, they would undoubtedly bring cages and bullets. The pack was free and humans would not change that ever again.

A branch snapped. Sophia froze, carefully eyeing the jungle around her. She knew when hunting prey it was best to wait until they were distracted, like at a water source. It was something she did often with smaller game. She would not fall victim to it so easily.

A dreadful howling started. She looked to the tree above her and spotted the source. The large monkey started shaking branches and jumping up and down. It was rare to see them be so bold as to be so low in the tree. Still out of reach but lower than what was usual. At least it was not throwing stuff at her. Likely, the other members were nearby and would soon join the action. She had to leave before they drew too much attention to her.

Sophia quickly drank deep and then moved toward the main road. The howling suddenly got worse and she eyed the monkey in the tree. Odd, she thought. Her nostrils flared and she looked around. The scent of blood caught her attention. Something injured was nearby. She just had to find it.

Was it worth the risk? Sophia looked around. The jungle was thinner in this area and she could see any large predators approaching. She was hungry but it was not something she had to sate immediately. Her eyes closed for a moment. She decided that the injured creature would live and continued to the road.

Her thoughts returned to the human as the howling died down. She saw a human once, though it was already dead. Her mother made it a point to take her to the body to show her what they looked like, what they smell like. It was a male, armed only with a handgun. He was a poor shot and died quickly. Her mother said that he was looking for something near the coast in the area forbidden to her and Silver Claw. His companions fled by boat. That was a few months ago.

A few days ago, a larger boat returned to the island and she warned her mother of it only to be restricted to the nest after that. If she had not broken that restriction with Silver Claw, she would probably be dead along with her mother and the rest of the pack.

Poor Silver Claw, Sophia thought. He never saw a human and was excited about their discovery of the boat, though he did not know what it was at the time. Her mother made her promise a year ago that she would not show Silver Claw anything relating to humans. She told Sophia that it was a leadership thing and that Silver Claw's curiosity would only cause problems, that one day she would understand the reason why. Her mother said that the pack would explain everything about humans to him later. Sophia suspected some ulterior motive but could not guess what it would be. They insisted that she needed to know about humans if she was to lead one day. It was her duty.

Sophia taught Silver Claw some things about humans in secret, despite that pack's objections and her promise. Silver Claw kept secrets better than she did. It was mostly small stuff like the names of certain objects and places. Her mother was right about his curiosity. He wanted to know everything. She held back some things, like the human body, the bones of which remained where he fell. She checked on it several times unbeknownst to her mother.

The road was the main way by which humans traveled the island according to her mother. It was also a means by which the islands large herbivores liked to travel quickly between grazing areas. Predators used it too. Sophia looked in each direction. It was faster to travel on the road but more dangerous since she would be in the open. However, it was still her territory and only the very large predators would be bold enough to stalk this region so openly. She started down the road in an easy run.

The jungle thickened as she neared her destination. The songs of birds, frogs and insects filled the air despite the heat. The road itself was in a reasonable condition even with the absence of humans, though the heavy dinosaurs left their marks where they most often crossed or walked. The surface was less forgiving than the soft jungle earth and if she stayed on it for too long, her feet would begin to ache.

As Sophia reach the final bend before her destination, she came to a stop. Her nostrils flared. She smelled a nearby kill. That worried her. It meant that predators were near most likely. That would not stop her from finding her answers however. She slipped silently into the jungle.

It was a short distance to what she wanted to check first. She saw the arm of a crane nestled like a great metal trunk among the trees, the peeling yellow paint distinctly at odds with the browns and greens of the surrounding jungle. If the humans wanted to return, they would seek out their vehicles first.

Sophia stepped into the clearing. Long grasses grew tall enough to tickle her belly and hide parts of the vehicles within. Her mother said that the humans used this area next to the building to store the large vehicles until they needed them elsewhere. Most likely, they were going to use these vehicles to expand their roads south. At least that was her mother's guess.

As Sophia looked around, she did not see anything out of place. Of the four vehicles and the crane, two had smashed windows, her fault, and the others remained undisturbed. Perhaps whatever humans came to the island did not know of this place. That was her hope at least. She eyed the exit to the clearing, through which she saw the metal wires of the fence. There was no escaping it. She had to check.

Sophia waded through the grass, careful to keep an eye out for anything out of place. She saw none. That put her heart at ease. Most likely, some stupid human from the boat stumbled upon the nest after the attack and then fled the area. A poisonous thought struck her mind. What if the spinosaurus followed the human to the nest? She was not there to see the attack. It could have happened. Anger welled in her and then she saw the gates.

All hope left her.

Sophia slowly crept up to the gates, eyeing the building with suspicion. She left the gates open, both of them. They always did. Silver Claw and Sophia found the gates closed the first time they stumbled upon the building and had to climb the fence to get into the area. It was difficult but they did not want to chew through the metal wires. It hurt too much. When headed home, they left the gates open enough to get inside. One gate closed occasionally but not both at the same time.

Scents caught Sophia's nose, the human and the spinosaurus. She looked around. The human scent was old and recent but the spinosaurus was only old. That relaxed her a bit. Another scent lingered in the air as well and it was faintly familiar but she could not catch enough to be certain of what it was. She sniffed around and soon found a bed of moss at the base of a tree. It was disturbed. A human was definitely around.

She turned to the building once more. It was dark and she saw no movement. She had to know. Sophia moved up to the gate and held her ear next to a wire for a moment. Her mother said that the wires hummed when they were active. She heard nothing and so reached through the gate. She could open them if needed, something she learned after some play with the mechanisms, but nonetheless she liked them open always.

After a moment, she caught the mechanism with a claw and pulled. The outer gate released. She pulled it open fully and moved to the second. Soon, she was in.

The vicinity seemed oddly calm, though it may have been her paranoia. To her immediate right, a small shack sat empty, the door closed and the room lit only by the sun. The paved road continued to the steps of the building before her. Sophia quickly scanned the rest of the area. Unless the human was in the other building or hiding in one of the two vehicles, which she doubted, she was safe to move to her main destination.

Sophia followed the scent of the human to the building and soon picked up the scent of blood. For a moment, she considered the carcass off in the distance but then she realized it was fresh. She found several drops leading up the steps and a feather. A caudipteryx, rare, Sophia thought. She only ever saw one in her life and it got away after scratching her snout.

It seemed the human could also hunt.

The familiar scent was also in the air and it itched in her mind like an annoying insect. For some reason, she could not place it and so moved on.

Dried leaves lay strewn across the lobby floor, disturbed only where something walked. The human, Sophia thought. Her heart began to race. She wanted more than anything to have her pack backing her up, but they were gone, forever. A primal rage filled Sophia. She would avenge them someday and it would start with the human. She roared a challenge. Her call went unanswered. Doubt began to gnaw at her mind as the moments passed. She did not want to go into the dark halls where a human would have the advantage.

No! She was a raptor, a predator. Humans should fear her!

Sophia hesitated for a moment and then took a step forward. A mouse scurried from behind some furniture and disappeared into a hole. The whole situation felt wrong. She looked outside. Perhaps the human was not in the building. Maybe it left with whatever that familiar scent was. Her eyes closed.

The pulsing of Sophia's heart filled her whole body and a feeling of weightlessness overcame her. Not since her first solo hunt had she felt this unsure, this fragile. She did not like it. All this time she had to be strong, not for herself but for her pack, for Silver Claw. She was the strength to his weaknesses. But now, she only had herself and for once, it was not enough. Her body shook.

The weight of everything that happened to her in those few days fell upon her in a great wave and she dropped to the floor. For the first time in her life, she realized just how much she cared for everyone she lost and most of all, Silver Claw. The raw regret of passed opportunities ate at her mind. She could have been happy but it was always her own actions that held her back.

No more!

Sophia staggered to her feet. Her eyes blazed with determination. She would no longer be a slave to her past. She was strong. She was smart. She would survive.

The hall was dark but her keen eyes kept most of the details visible. She passed several closed doors, they were unimportant. The scent did not go in there. She reached a turn in the hall and the door ahead of her was open. She entered the room, claws ready to kill.

Silver Claw! His scent lingered strongly in the air. Her newfound strength left her and for a brief moment, she thought he might yet live, that all was not lost yet. No. The spinosaurus caught him. He was dead. She knew from experience in the building that scents sometimes lingered in the stale rooms, sometimes for days. He did mark some of the rooms when last they were here. That was likely what she smelled.

Another scent caught her attention. It had a sour smell to it. The human scent was strongest in the next room where the smell originated and as she passed into the room, she saw a lump of blankets on the floor. They reeked of vomit. It was from the human, without a doubt. This was where the human made its nest. It was not a very clean creature, Sophia suspected.

A sudden crashing made Sophia leap. It came from outside. She looked to the windows but they were too dirty to see through. She had to see outside.

At a sprint, Sophia ran out of the room. She ignored the bloody leftovers of a carcass on the floor and made her way into the hall. She turned and headed towards the cliff side rooms. Her destination was the outer walkway.

She entered a well-lit room and nearly ran into open space. At the last moment, she realized that the walkway was gone and threw herself against door frame, cracking it. Her breath came in short gasps as she looked down at the mangled metal. Then she saw it, the spinosaurus. A guttural snarl escaped her lips.

Oblivious to Sophia, the spinosaurus walked slowly along the cliffs in the direction of the crash. Sophia looked north and saw the rising dust cloud. After a moment, loud voices carried on the wind. They were human and there was more than one.

Though she did not understand the words, as they were too faint to make out, she only knew that they came from two distinct sources. She did not smell two humans in the building however. That was a problem. Their numbers were growing. If it were only one, she was confident that she could overpower it. Two changed things. She moved back into the building. They would soon return, of that, she was certain.

For a moment, Sophia considered waiting so that she could ambush them when they returned. She could hide in the shack or any of the many rooms. As she reached the lobby, she realized that it would be a mistake. She did not have experience fighting humans unlike the rest of the pack. She did not know what to expect. That put her at a disadvantage. If they had guns, she would die.

The spinosaurus roared from the base of the cliffs. She would have ignored it but an answer came. There were two spinosaurus in the area. Anger gripped Sophia. Not only did she have two humans to deal with but also there were two spinosaurus. She could not deal with this on her own. She had to find a pack.

Sophia broke in to a jog. As she passed through the gates, she turned south so that she could follow a dirt road back towards the nest. Her decision made and her mind made up, she would visit the nest one last time and then depart into the east in search of a pack. If the other Blue Pack were alive, she would find them. They would help her.

As the building disappeared from view, a strange thought entered her mind. If Silver Claw were with her, he would have wanted to see the humans up close and likely would have run up to them to examine them. It made her smile and she missed him deeply.

The End.


End file.
